
Trump Sends a Warning to Iran After Rocket Attack on US Baghdad Embassy.
President Trump added to the growing tension between the United StatesĀ and Iran following aĀ rocket attackĀ on theĀ U.S. Embassy in Baghdad early this week, when he warned against any additional strikes. The recent rocket attack, which included 21 missiles that killed at least one Iraqi civilian and damaged the embassy compound, was the largest such strike on the Iraqi capitalās Green Zone in a decade. It is thought to be linked to Iran.
āOur embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets. Three rockets failed to launch. Guess where they were from IRAN. Now we hear the chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq,ā Trump tweeted. āSome friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,ā he added.
It was initially reported that Iran-backed militias fired eight rockets into the International Zone in Baghdad that houses theĀ U.S. EmbassyĀ around 8:30 p.m. local time. The facility’sĀ missile defenseĀ system was activated to deflect the attack.
But an after-action review by U.S.Ā Central CommandĀ (Centcom) found that the attack included far more missiles, with roughly half of the 21 weapons landing inside theĀ U.S. EmbassyĀ compound, TheĀ Wall Street Journal reported. Centcom head Gen. Frank McKenzie said it was unknown if the attack, which included missiles believed to have been supplied by Iran, was planned by Tehran or an Iran-linked force. No group has yet claimed responsibility.
āI do not know the degree to which Iran is complicit,ā McKenzie told the Journal on Tuesday. āWe do not seek a war, and I donāt actually believe they seek one either.ā In a statement on Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran-backed militias, while Iraqās president called the attack a āterrorist act.ā
The attack comes near the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-ordered drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iranās eliteĀ Quds Force. Soleimani and several other Iranian military officials were killed Jan. 3 while travelling to the Baghdad airport. Tehran response was to launch a missile attack on an Iraqi airbase housing U.S. troops, resulting in more than 100 U.S.Ā service membersĀ sufferingĀ traumatic brain injuries.
U.S. officials have expressed concern that Iran or its proxies could further retaliate for the killing near its anniversary, earlier this month temporarily withdrawing some staff from its embassy in Baghdad. In a show of military force,Ā the PentagonĀ earlier this week announced that a guided-missile submarine passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The statement was a rare disclosure of the movements of one of theĀ United Statesās nuclear-powered submarines.
TheĀ U.S. militaryĀ also last week flew two B-52H bombers from Louisiana over theĀ Persian Gulf. The rocket strike on theĀ U.S. Embassy also comes as the Trump administration is on its way out and the incoming Biden administration has looked to possibly try to restore the 2015Ā Iran nuclearĀ agreement and reengage with the country diplomatically.
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